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Water Pollution (1)

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9 views

Water Pollution (1)

Uploaded by

harijanani0010
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Definition

A practical definition of water pollution is: "Water pollution is the addition of


substances or energy forms that directly or indirectly alter the nature of the water
[1]: 6
body in such a manner that negatively affects its legitimate uses." Water is
typically referred to as polluted when it is impaired by anthropogenic contaminants.
Due to these contaminants, it either no longer supports a certain human use, such
as drinking water, or undergoes a marked shift in its ability to support its biotic
communities, such as fish.

Contaminants:

● Various chemical compounds found in personal hygiene and cosmetic


products.
● Disinfection by-products found in chemically disinfected drinking
water,Hormones (from animal husbandry and residue from human
hormonal contraception methods) and synthetic materials such as
phthalates that mimic hormones in their action. These can have adverse
impacts even at very low concentrations on the natural biota and
potentially on humans if the water is treated and utilized for drinking water.
● insecticides and herbicides, often from agricultural runoff.
● Pathogens like Hepatovirus A [HAV may be present in treated wastewater
outflows and receiving water bodies but is largely removed during further
treatment of drinking water]

Types of water pollution


Surface water pollution
Marine pollution
Nutrient pollution
Thermal pollution
Biological pollution
Groundwater pollution
Impacts
Ecosystems
Water pollution is a major global environmental problem because it can result in the
degradation of all aquatic ecosystems – fresh, coastal, and ocean waters. The
specific contaminants leading to pollution in water include a wide spectrum of
chemicals, pathogens, and physical changes such as elevated temperature. While
many of the chemicals and substances that are regulated may be naturally occurring
(calcium, sodium, iron, manganese, etc.) the concentration usually determines what
is a natural component of water and what is a contaminant. High concentrations of
naturally occurring substances can have negative impacts on aquatic flora and
fauna. Oxygen-depleting substances may be natural materials such as plant matter
(e.g. leaves and grass) as well as human-made chemicals. Other natural and
anthropogenic substances may cause turbidity (cloudiness) which blocks light and
disrupts plant growth, and clogs the gills of some fish species.

Public health and waterborne disease


A study published in 2017 stated that "polluted water
spread gastrointestinal diseases and parasitic infections and killed 1.8 million
people" (these are also referred to as waterborne diseases). Persistent exposure to
pollutants through water are environmental health hazards, which can increase the
likelihood for one to develop cancer or other diseases.

Eutrophication from nitrogen pollution


Nitrogen pollution can cause eutrophication, especially in

lakes. Eutrophication is an increase in the concentration of chemical nutrients in an


ecosystem to an extent that increases the primary productivity of the ecosystem.
Subsequent negative environmental effects such as anoxia (oxygen depletion) and

severe reductions in water quality may occur. This can harm fish and other animal

populations.

Ocean acidification
Ocean acidification is another impact of water pollution. Ocean

acidification is the ongoing decrease in the pH value of the Earth's oceans, caused
by the uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.
Prevalence
Water pollution is a problem in developing countries as well as in developed
countries.

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